Catrice Strobe to Glow Highlighter & Matt to Cheek Blush stick

Cream blush & highlight is not exactly the first product I reach for in my day to day makeup routine. However, when Catrice released some very affordable options, I wanted to give it a go. Cream and liquid highlight especially have been making its way more and more into my makeup collection this past year, and I even dipped my toes into liquid bronzer. Since I’ve been feeling more adventurous lately, I’ve put the new Strobe to Glow highlight and Matt to Cheek blush to the test.

Catrice Strobe to Glow highlighter stick 010 Tomorrowland White Gold
Catrice Matt to Cheek Blush stick 030 Game of Roses

As with most Catrice products, these sticks are under €5. One of these sticks will set you back €4.59 exactly. Both the highlighter and the blush come in three different shades. I haven’t tried many cream face products. My main fear with cream and liquid face products is blendability and ease of application. I’m always afraid that it won’t blend well, move my foundation or just look streaky. Will that be the case with these?

Catrice Strobe to Glow highlighter stick 010 Tomorrowland White Gold

This is not the first highlight stick I’ve tried. Last year, Essence released one as part of their Lights of Orient limited edition collection, which I liked at the time. I picked up the shade Tomorrowland White Gold. I’m usually not into golden toned highlights, but because this looked light enough to me, I decided I could give it a go.

Catrice Matt to Cheek Blush stick 030 Game of Roses

Cream blush is not my forte. In a recent decluttering video, I got rid of the only one I used to have (which I decided to keep a little bit later after all). This stick comes in a much more wearable shade. It was also the most obvious choice for me when it came to the selection. One was more peachy and the other more of a brown: both not my favorite shades for blush.

The Shades

Let’s have a closer look at the shades. The highlighter is a very light golden shade that isn’t too champagne or beige. It is not too icy: a gripe I have with most drugstore highlights no matter how stunning. The blush is a pretty dusty rose shade. The blush is void of shimmer, which is a plus. I usually prefer to add the shine myself (unless it is a hot day, then I like to wear as little products as possible).

The Swatches

When swatched you can clearly see the pigmentation of these. The highlight is a tad sheer. That can be nice as it makes it easier to build up, which is something I like to do with cream products. If they go on too full on, it can be hard to tone them down. This way, there is more control.

The blush has a good amount of color to it. However, while the name promises it to be matte, I find this has just the hint of sheen to it. It’s probably the cream formula that causes that, but a product that suggests to be fully matte it is not. It also stays looking creamy and doesn’t settle down as a powder.

Blendability

Texture wise I was surprised by how creamy these were. Sometimes stick and cream products can be a straight up grease fest, but these do not have that at all. The texture is very pleasant and easy to blend. Perhaps a bit too easy in the case of the highlight. While it sheers out to a pretty sheen, it isn’t a wham bam in your face highlight. The blush is pretty and is easy to use. I use a Real Techniques buffing brush to apply these: I swirled the brush around onto the stick and applied that to my face.

The Application

Before
Highlight
Blush

What I have to say though is that these were a little disappointing in the application. The highlighter sheers out so much that it doesn’t make a huge difference, but still it can be nice as a base layer for a powder highlight.I did decide to layer on some more highlight after I applied the blush just to make the shine a bit more intense.

After applying the blush however, I felt the layering of so many cream products (foundation, concealer, highlight, blush) was a bit much for my skin. The blush emphasized the texture in my skin and on my cheeks that is the last thing I need. The look improved after powdering my face and applying powder highlight and blush, but that kind of defeats the point of using creams in the first place.

The Conclusion

Since these products ended up emphasizing every pore and milia on my face, I’d say these are best stayed away from if you have a lot of texture on your face. In my case that means using them in summer only. In the winter my skin becomes quite dehydrated and this will sit even worse. They do not slip and slide around on the face like some cream products do and the wear time was quite good. I did get a full day of wear out of this look.

Overall, I think these are good for the price point and what they are. If you have very smooth skin then this will be a great product to use and I will definitely go back to it on hot days, when I like to wear less makeup or if I simply want to be quick and easy with my makeup look. I rated the Matt to Cheek blush a little higher than the Strobe to Glow highlight, simply because it is more pigmented and I like the shade.

What cream blush or highlight do you use?